COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohioans filed 6,641 initial traditional unemployment claims last week, which was 613 more than the previous week, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reported Thursday.
State residents also filed 68,224 continued traditional unemployment claims the week of Feb. 16-22, which was 1,351 fewer than the previous week.
Of the initial unemployment claims filed, 813 have been flagged for more stringent identity verification to ensure they are not fraudulent.
In December, Ohio’s unemployment rate was 4.4%. The national unemployment rate was 4.1%. Ohio’s labor force participation rate in December was 62.6%. The national labor force participation rate was 62.5%.